Of Demons and Disguises
by whirlwinds of watercolours
Summary: Secrets, betrayals and lies. They have been a part of Rowena's life ever since that fateful encounter. Will it be too late when she realises that she has already fallen off the deep end?
1. Prologue

**Title: Of Demons and Disguises**

**Summary: Secrets, betrayals and lies. They have been a part of Rowena's life ever since that fateful encounter. Will it be too late when she realises that she has already fallen off the deep end?**

**Author: Memento Vivere**

**Rating: T**

**Word Count: 1439**

******Written for: Marie's Multi-Chapter Competition.**

**A/N: This is only the prologue. Obviously, I wasn't alive in the 10th century and my knowledge of history's limited, so there may be certain errors, such as ****the existence of certain names and **the proper dress code in medieval times. I would think wizards dressed alike to Muggles until the 17th or so century when the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy was introduced. That's just my own theory, though, if you have another one feel free to enlighten me. **Thanks to _Emma Quinn_!**

* * *

Ominous clouds, dark and ragged, raced across the dreary sky. The wind howled menacingly outside, rattling the sturdy house. In the distance, a roll of thunder could be heard.

Scowling, Rowena Ravenclaw glanced out of the window irritably. Preferring sunny and warm or rainy and cold weather, she absolutely detested those few and far between days in Scotland when it was neither rain or shine. Those days usually meant no lounging around the gardens of the Ravenclaw manor with her best friend Helga Hufflepuff while basking in the rays of the sun or curling up in a blanket by the window reading a book while listening to the soothing rhythm of the raindrops splattering against the pane.

However, her annoyance that day was not merely caused by the gloomy weather echoing her mood.

"Must we go?" she asked her mother sullenly as she stared at her reflection in the mirror. Donned in her best dress robes with her dark curls tied back by a ribbon, she felt like a china doll – fragile and delicate, unlike her usual self. Contrary to most of her era, she preferred casual summer dresses to those frilly lace garbs she was forced to wear in the presence of company.

"Of course we must, dear," Anna Ravenclaw replied, her lips pursed with disapproval as she fussed around with Rowena's dress collar before stepping back to admire the overall effect. "It's common courtesy."

Although she had expected a similar answer to the one her mother gave, she still could not suppress the sigh which escaped her lips. There was no way of finding an excuse not to show up, once her mother made up her mind.

At age nineteen, Rowena Ravenclaw was destined to be betrothed to one of her distant cousins, Edmund Ravenclaw, since the Ravenclaw family could find no other pureblood suitors they deem 'acceptable'. Although most respectable pureblood ladies her age should be happily married and settled down, she was far from glad about her engagement. She did not want to be shouldered with the burden of having a family yet; she wanted to spend a few years travelling the world, perhaps testing the limits of magic.

She did not know much about Edmund, other than him sharing the same surname as her – which she was quite glad for, since she liked the alliteration of her name. Her mother had arranged a meeting that day for the purpose of the two cousins to get to know more about each other – and in the high hopes that they would seal the deal at the same time.

Rowena was not looking forward to this family gathering.

Glancing at the clock in her room as she made her way down the grand staircase with her mother, she realised it was almost time to leave. They would be arriving at the other Ravenclaw manor at nine in the morning, and the ornate clock decorating the chimneypiece showed it was almost ten minutes to nine.

As soon as they stepped outside the wards of their house, the loud _crack _of Apparition was heard.

According to her mother, Apparition was the most suitable way of transport when one was visiting on a formal note. To Portkey or Floo directly to one's home would be considered rude and an invasion of privacy, not to mention one of the side-effects of Flooing was dirty robes – which was practically a crime to Anna Ravenclaw.

After the dizzy sensation of being forced through a rubber tube, Rowena found herself outside the quaint village of Mortlach where Edmund Ravenclaw resided. The walk from the Apparition point to his house should take around ten minutes, meaning they would arrive at nine, on the dot. Punctuality was important.

Mortlach was a small town comprising of both Muggles and wizards. As they strolled through the village square at a brisk pace, Rowena glanced around the street, watching the residents go about on their usual business. It was obvious to the keen eye who the Muggles were and who the wizards were – the wizards seemed to carry themselves in a different fashion; they looked much prouder and more superior as opposed to the humble manner Muggles carried themselves in.

True to Anna's prediction, they arrived at the doorstep of Edmund Ravenclaw's manor at nine on the dot. Like their own home, the Ravenclaw manor looked grand and small on the outside, but Rowena knew appearances were deceiving. There were probably many Undetectable Extension Charms cast on the interior.

From outside the gate, all they could see was the house and the stone steps leading to the front door, but as soon as they passed straight through the iron bars – which dissolved like smoke – the space seemed to have multiplied by tenfold and more. They were no longer standing in front of a small house; instead, they were standing in front of a huge manor looming in the distance with sprawling gardens surrounding it. To any outsiders, the beautiful and enormous manor would seem impressive, but to Rowena and her mother, it was very similar to their own and they did not even bat an eyelash as they continued their way. As members of the distinguished Ravenclaw family, they were quite used to this.

As they were escorted into the manor hallway by a house-elf, they heard muffled voices, separated by a closed door, coming from the main room.

"It was lovely seeing you again, Salazar. And Godric! You must come and visit me soon. I look forward to receiving your owl!"

A few indistinct murmurs were exchanged, before the door to the main room opened to reveal her cousin and his guests.

Surprise flashed through the face of one of them – her cousin Edmund, she presumed, since he had the dark hair and dark eyes which were the trademark of the Ravenclaw family – and he swore under his breath, much to the disapproval of Anna and to the mild amusement of his two guests and Rowena. Shock flitted through the features of the other two men as well, before they hurriedly composed themselves and greeted Rowena and her mother.

"Godric Gryffindor, my lady," one of them spoke first, introducing himself by bowing low and pressing his lips against the back of Rowena's hand, in the proper pureblood fashion. 'Gryffindor', however, was not the name of a pureblood family, so at best this heavily-built man, with his bright red hair and sparkling green eyes, was a half-blood. At the very least, he knew his manners – something her mother would be very pleased about.

"Rowena Ravenclaw," she replied mechanically after all the time spent on pureblood etiquette lessons with her mother. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"The pleasure is all mine," Gryffindor beamed, before turning to introduce himself to her mother. A hint of an impressed smile was etched on Anna Ravenclaw's face; evidently, she knew he could not be a pureblood either, yet he had the charming manners expected of them.

The other guest, who had been standing in the shadows watching the whole exchange, finally stepped up after Gryffindor made his greetings.

Steel grey eyes set on an aristocratic - yet with a certain monkey-like quality - face bore into her own dark eyes. "Salazar Slytherin," he said, greeting Rowena the pureblood way, with a refined grace to his movements.

Trying not to do a visible double-take, Rowena smiled and replied, almost robotically, with her name.

The Slytherin family was quite well known among the Wizarding community for being Parselmouths and their hatred of Muggles and Muggle-borns. According to rumours and gossips, they had tried, on countless occasions, to rid mixed villages of Muggles and persecute every Muggle-born they came across.

The Ravenclaw family supported pureblood beliefs, but not to the extent that they would murder every person of Muggle blood, nor would they shun Muggle-borns. Rowena's best friend Helga was a Muggle-born, and though her family did not approve of Rowena socialising with Helga, they did not make any move to separate the two either.

As soon as introductions were made and greetings exchanged, Edmund escorted his two guests out of the manor and welcomed the Ravenclaws into the sitting room. Anna was looking quite displeased at Edmund's time management, the pinched look on her face practically screamed, _You should know better than to invite guests before meeting your future wife!_

Seeing her mother in a foul mood, a small smile formed on Rowena's face. Maybe Anna would be too disgruntled today to encourage their engagement. Even a few more days of freedom would matter to Rowena.

Perhaps cloudy days were not so bad after all.

* * *

**On a side note, one of the meanings of the name 'Anna' is 'eagle'. Interesting, don't you think?**

**Please let me know what you think of this!**

**~Avelin**


	2. Madness or Brilliance

**Word Count: 2208**

**A/N: Alright, just to clear this up: although this is set in the tenth century, I'm not going to use Old English. Firstly, it's because I don't know that language and I'm not going to learn it just for this fic. Secondly, I suspect you yourself don't know it. This is more like a... modern translation of what happened then.**

**There may be some errors, because I'm terrible at history. Please don't kill me. This is my interpretation of what happened with the Founders, because there're so many fics floating out there with the Founders already having the intention to build a school. I'm just being what I feel is realistic.**

**Many, many thanks to _Emma Quinn _and_ VenusInHerHair_. My grammar would be atrocious without their help.**

* * *

"Rowena dear, you cannot stay in your room forever," Anna Ravenclaw sniffed primly in indignation as she hovered outside the room, arms crossed as she eyed the scowling girl perched on the windowsill with evident displeasure. "You have to come out, sooner or later."

"I still don't _want_to marry Edmund, mother," Rowena repeated for what felt like the thousandth time, glaring outside her window. Raindrops splattered against the pane, blurring her view of the gardens below. Usually, she would have loved to seize the chance of enjoying the rainy weather, but today she was in no mood to read any book. She had been sitting by the window for a few days staring out into nothingness, asking the house elf to bring up her food and only leaving for loo breaks and sleep. "I hardly know anything about him at all and I don't want to get married this early anyway."

"You don't have a say in this matter," Anna hissed, glancing at the clock nervously before fixing Rowena with a fierce glare. "Hurry up, Rowena. We only have a few more minutes left before they arrive."

Her mother had arranged for Edmund Ravenclaw and her to have another meeting at their manor. The one at his manor a few weeks ago had been a complete failure as they had not been able to arrange their engagement, since her mother had been too irate. Irritation radiating from her, Rowena got up from her spot on the windowsill and flung open the door to her closet with much more force than necessary. In a flash, she was dressed in the brand new silk robes her mother had bought for her the other day. Since Rowena had already worn her best dress robes to the first meeting, her mother naturally got her another; _Merlin forbid_Anna Ravenclaw and her daughter to be seen in the same set of clothes twice.

The timing that Anna had set for the meeting was not so good though, since Edmund had already made plans for that night which could not be cancelled for an undisclosed reason. As her mother was eager to arrange the engagement as soon as possible – Rowena was almost twenty and most girls that age should have already been in the early stages of their first pregnancy – she relented by letting Edmund have his friends over at their own manor as well. Having friends there would not affect the engagement taking place – they might even help to ease the awkwardness a little.

Rowena had immediately stepped in, asking her mother if she could bring her friend Helga too. It was only when she promised that she would accept the engagement that night regardless of their guests that she agreed, but with much reluctance. Anna had originally planned this to be an engagement-sealing dinner with the two of them – but somehow, three others were thrown into the mix.

Now, however, Rowena was thinking of going back on her word. Even though her mother had told her that she should never break a promise, she could not help it. This was _her_future they were talking about, after all, not some favour which needed to be done.

How she hated customary pureblood traditions.

Although she had to say, her family's version of marriage arrangement was better. The influential Ravenclaw family ignored the demanding and unspoken law that marriages were to be arranged strictly between parents, regardless of their child's decision. They preferred to do things their own way – the parents organised meetings between the people involved and then pressured the children to accept the arrangement.

However, sometimes Rowena wondered if the proper version was better, because then she would not have to put up with her fiancé too often.

Arranging a polite smile – which came out more like a grimace than an actual smile – on her face, she breezed down the stairs of the manor, sitting down next to the head of the dinner table in the grand hall. Her mother sat at the head, while her father's seat – directly opposite her mother – remained empty, since he was out of the country. The smooth mahogany table had been polished to a shine and the cutlery was already put in place by their faithful house-elves.

Rowena only had to wait for a little while before the sound of the door opening was heard, and Minky the house-elf came into the room, escorting their four guests.

Edmund had brought along the two men she had met the other day at his manor – Godric Gryffindor and Salazar Slytherin. Rising from their seats, Rowena and Anna gave them a bow, before Anna gestured for all of the guests to sit down. Helga took a seat next to Rowena, while Edmund and the other two men sat on the opposite side of them.

Dinner was a very strained and awkward affair, with the tinkling sounds of cutlery knocking against each other and Anna occasionally making a few comments about the food, resulting in the other five of them either giving a few grunt or a nod of agreement as a response. Rowena refused to say anything, still mad at her mother and so-called 'traditions' that she was not given a choice in this marriage matter. Not even Helga's sympathetic smiles could offer her any comfort.

Being a Muggle-born, Helga did not have to wed as early as purebloods had to. Although Muggle marriages were mostly arranged by parents as well, their way differed from the wizards'. Besides, Helga had made it clear to her parents that she wanted to marry another wizard, not any Muggle suitor they found.

How Rowena envied her friend – she would have given anything, _anything_ to be in Helga's shoes. Did her mother not know that she did not want to be tied down right now? Did she not understand that Rowena wanted to continue to be addressed by 'Miss Ravenclaw' for now?

After dessert, Anna – as 'customary pureblood tradition' required – left the room, leaving the five of them alone.

There was a lengthy and awkward pause as they stared at each other, not knowing what to do. Usually, it was the male who breached the subject of the engagement first, but this time, Edmund looked as if he was at a loss of words and he almost immediately excused himself for a loo break after Anna left. With Edmund's disappearance, the tension seemed palpably thicker. They glanced at each other helplessly, as if pleading someone else to speak first.

Finally, it was Slytherin who broke the silence.

"I suppose this is not just a friendly meeting between old friends?" he asked Rowena casually, yet there was a hint of sharpness in his tone which suggested he knew half – or perhaps the whole – of the story. Although pureblood traditions were common knowledge among the wizarding community, they liked to be subtler about their advances. Being too obvious would annoy others.

"No," she replied, a blush staining her cheeks a crimson red, her eyes cast downwards in embarrassment at the failure of her own engagement. "Far from that. We hardly know each other."

"I heard about the Ravenclaws' way of doing things," he continued lazily, much to Rowena's discomfort. "I suppose I have no right to meddle, but I do think the original version is much… shall we say, better? I really don't know what your family members were thinking when they changed the tradition."

Rowena looked up, narrowing her eyes at the smug look on Slytherin's face. Even though she hated being a pureblood at times, she was still proud of being part of the Ravenclaw family. No one was going to get away with insulting them, not on her watch.

"You're right," she answered icily, earning a raised eyebrow of curiosity from Slytherin. She could feel the stare of the other two occupants in the room piercing into her as she continued. "You have no right to meddle. How things are done in our family has nothing to do with you."

Slytherin looked faintly amused at her words. "I sincerely hope there was no offence taken," he smiled, although to Rowena it looked as though the smile did not reach his grey eyes. Rowena gave a stiff nod, accepting his 'apology' but still wary of this man. He turned to Helga, including her into the conversation as well. "Have either of you been to school?"

"No," Rowena replied at the same time as Helga, who said, "yes." Gryffindor straightened immediately from his half-unconcerned stance, his attention focused on Helga.

"You went to school?" Gryffindor asked, astonishment evident on his face. In those days, it was mostly the men who had proper education in a real school, while the women worked at home. The only women who attended school were Muggle-borns, since they needed proper background knowledge on magic; or really rich purebloods who probably had nowhere else to spend their money, while half-bloods and normal purebloods stayed at home and learnt only the basic knowledge of how to use a wand for simple charms and brief magical history.

Muggle-borns were very rare, as they were descended from Squibs – which were practically non-existent. Most of the wizarding world detested Muggle-borns, since they were closely associated with the 'filthy' Muggles who were determined to wipe out the entire wizard population.

"Yes, I did," Helga answered coolly. After a moment of silence, she added, "I'm a Muggle-born. Is that a problem?" Her blue eyes were challenging, as if daring him to contradict her.

"No, no, of course not!" Gryffindor replied hurriedly, not wanting to offend Helga. "It's just that – well – there aren't any Muggle-borns, you see…"

Slytherin had been watching the exchange between the two of them observantly, but now he turned to Rowena. Annoyance welled in her, but she quenched it down. She was sure that when he had looked at Helga, there was a hint of disdain in those bright grey eyes.

_There are many pureblood bigots out there, remember?_she told herself. _The Slytherin family is well known for that._But all the same, she wished people would stop staring at Helga like she was some sort of odd freak.

"I would've expected a female member of the Ravenclaw family to attend school," he remarked. "After all, Ravenclaws are rumoured to be the brightest witches and wizards out there, plus they certainly can afford to pay that sum of money."

"That is a rumour," she pointed out, even though deep down she knew it was quite true. Most of the brightest witches or wizards of the age were somehow related to the Ravenclaw family, even though their last name might not necessarily be Ravenclaw. As for their wealth, judging from the grand state of the manor, it was very easy to tell the Ravenclaws had quite a fortune in their pocket.

"Even if it were true," she continued, since the look on his face said that he highly doubted that it was 'just a rumour', "that doesn't mean I _have_to go to school. You can learn just as well at home as by going to school."

Before she reached the age of eleven, her mother had already bought her a wand to practice magic by herself. Rowena had excitedly run around the house, turning white daffodils into blue and Transfiguring needles into mice. When she reached eleven, her mother had hired a private tutor – another member of the Ravenclaw family – to teach her all the subjects of magic: Charms, Dark Arts, Herbology, History and so on…

Slytherin shrugged. "Attending a proper school gives you more credibility." He paused, eyes narrowed in thought. "I wonder…" he mused, brows furrowed. "Is it possible to build a school?"

Rowena stared at him unblinkingly for a moment, trying to process what she had just heard. What – _what_? Build a _school_? Did he not know about the resources and efforts needed? Building a school required land, teachers, equipment, and not to mention _students_. Was he out his mind?

"A school?" Gryffindor asked inquisitively, overhearing part of their conversation. He and Helga had been engrossed in their own discussion about blood purity, but now they were both staring at Slytherin with a mix of curiosity and amazement.

"You heard me, Godric," Slytherin sighed in exasperation. "School: an institution designed for the teaching of students. I hope your English is not that poor?"

Gryffindor rolled his eyes, about to open his mouth to retort, but Helga cut in. "Actually, Slytherin's idea is not that bad. There's only one magical institution in the whole world right now, and that's Durmstrang. Half the magical children are home-schooled."

Slytherin stared at the thoughtful Helga for a moment, his expression indiscernible. Finally, his lips curved into a small smile, though Rowena noted his steel grey eyes still remained cold. "Something we can agree on, Hufflepuff."

Before the obvious silent tension between Slytherin and Hufflepuff could be resolved, Edmund returned to the room. An unspoken agreement was made between the four of them that none of this school business would be mentioned in front of Edmund, and the gathering ended on a tense note, with no engagement in place.

Rowena did not know if this idea of Salazar Slytherin's was madness or brilliance.


End file.
